Burnham to consider ban on disposable barbecues as wildfires rage in UK

Disposable barbecues have been identified as the main cause of a number of serious fires over the last few years. Photograph: thepurpledoor/ View image in fullscreen Disposable barbecues have been identified as the main cause of a number of serious fires over the last few years. Photograph: thepurpledoor/ Burnham to consider ban on disposable barbecues as wildfires rage in UK PM to look at imposing restriction on devices in public spaces, though campaigners fear it does not go far enough The government will look at banning disposable barbecues as wildfires continue to rage across the UK, Andy Burnham has said. Disposable barbecues have been the cause of a number of serious fires over the last few years, but campaigners were critical of the prime minister’s failure to link those fires more broadly to the climate crisis. In July this year, firefighters called to Cannock Chase found an area the size of a football field blazing in the summer heat. The heathland in Sherbrook Valley, part of a special area of conservation, was home to adders, toads and other wildlife, which were thought to have suffered severe damage, though no people were harmed. The cause of the fire was identified as a disposable barbecue. This was one of two fires in the area that were particularly concerning, Staffordshire council officials said, because Cannock Chase is home to protected wildlife, including ground-nesting nightjars. Fires can destroy nests, chicks and vital heathland habitat, causing damage that can take many years to recover from. Disposable barbecues, which can be carried into public areas, present a number of problems: they remain hot, sometimes for hours, after they are used, making them extremely difficult to dispose of safely, and when they cannot be carried away, people are forced to leave them or place them into bins where they carry on smouldering. View image in fullscreen Disposable barbecues can remain hot, sometimes for hours, after they are used, making them extremely difficult to dispose of safely. Photograph: Pat Tuson/AlamyBurying the barbecues, as some try to do, will not stop the danger as these trays of charcoal can reach 450C and will carry on burning underground, where they can still ignite fires long after use. On beaches, the buried coals and metal grills are also a hazard for walkers, and in fields for farm animals. Over the last few years they have been identified as the cause of a number of serious fires including: Children injured, wildlife slaughtered, forests ravaged: is it time to ban disposable barbecues?